Machine to align bottles so that a fluid can be poured therein



United States Patent [72] Inventor [21 Appl. No. [22] Filed [45]Patented [73] Assignee J apan,

a corporation of Japan [32] Priority May 4, 1968 [33] Japan [31] No.43/29979 [54] MACHINE TO ALIGN BOTTLES SO THAT A FLUID [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,628,708 2/1953 Wahl et al.... 198/2122,915,165 12/1959 Bell l98/33(.l) 3,165,194 l/l965 Madden 198/33(Rl)3,338,373 8/1967 Aidlin et a1. 198/3-3(Rl) Primary Examiner-Albert J.Makay Attorney-George B. Oujevolk ABSTRACT: This is a machine to receiveempty bottles and to orient and feed these bottles onto a bottle-fillingstation so that the mouth portion of the bottle is disposed forreceiving a liquid. The machine has outer fixed and inner rotatingcoaxial cylinders. Bottle positions are defined on the outside, towardsthe upper part of the inner cylinder with a floor and limits. Thesebottle positions rotate within the outer cylinder. There is a floor onsaid inner cylinder, and delivery means to drop bottles on this floor;guide means in said inner cylinder to guide the bottles to a locationover said positions; engaging and clearing means at said location toengage the bottom of bottles and clear the neck of bottles so as to dropthe bottles into the positions bottomside down.

Patented Dec. 1, 1970 I 3,543,909

Sheet of 4 Patented Dec. 1, 1970 Sheet ,2 M4

FIE/.2

MACHINE T ALIGN BOTTLES SO THAT A FLUID CAN BE POURED THEREIN Thepresent invention relates to a machine for receiving empty bottles andthen feeding these bottles out in a row so that the bottle mouth may bedisposed for receiving a liquid.

At present, the operation for filling bottles, especially those made ofsynthetic resin, with a liquid, particularly with milk or acidophilusbeverage is carried out automatically, and prior to the bottle fillingoperation a large number of empty bottles have to be arranged in a rowwith the bottle mouth directed upward. The machine for performing suchoperation is disposed between a bottle storage tank and a bottle fillingapparatus.

One of the machines of the prior art for carrying out the aboveoperation includes a limit switch for detecting the position of themouths of the bottles which are sent forward in a row with mouthside upor down at random. Then, the bottles are divided into two groups anddelivered onto two conveyor lines, one group of those with mouthside upand the other group of those with mouthside down, the latter thereafterbeing arranged in right position. However, these bottles made of asynthetic resin are so light that the limit switch for detecting thedirection of the mouth has to be highly sensitive, and consequently, itis required that a weak spring be provided as a lever returning spring.On the other hand, unless the returning spring is strong enough, it isimpossible to return the lever and therefore to effect the detectingoperation in case a number of bottles are fed in succession. Because ofsuch limit to the capacity, the conventional apparatus is not onlyinefficient but also defective in that the detecting operation is notalways satisfactory or the limit switch serves only for a short period.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the defects of theprior art and to provide a machine whereby, without the use of a limitswitch, bottles can be sent out in a row with the mouth thereofpositioned in the right direction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine which iscapable of automatically performing the above operation with highefficiency and which is less susceptible to difficulties.

Another object of the present invention is to place bottles withmouthside up into an upright position by utilizing the weight of thebottles and without causing damage to the bottles which takes place incase they are forced to change the position.

Still another object of the present invention is to increase theoperating capacity.

These and other objects of the present invention have been accomplishedby the embodiment herein described and which comprises a fixed housinghaving an inner cylindrical wall, a bottle delivery means to dropbottles within the housing from the top thereof, and an inner cylindercoaxial with the inner cylindrical wall having a conical floor disposedso as to receive bottles from the delivery means, a rotating means fordriving the inner cylinder within the inner cylindrical wall along acircular path of travel, guide means to receive said bottles thereonextending from the floor to the upper portion of said inner cylinder soas to guide said bottles to said upper portion, the bottles being thendisposed at right angles to the diameter of the cylinder, verticalbottle positions defined on them outside of said inner cylinder towardsthe upper portion thereof between said inner cylinder outer side and theinner cylindrical wall of said housing including a position floor,position limits, said guide means leading to the top of said positions,a guide end member to push bottles which are on guide means over saiddefined positions; clearing means and engaging means to engage eitherthe bottle neck or rear portion and drop the bottle into said definedpositions bottom first; and, an exit station with exit means along saidpath of travel to discharge said bottles individually as they reach theexit station.

Other characteristics, objects and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description of theembodiment below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a plan view partly broken away and showing a machine embodyingthe present invention, the cover of an outer cylinder being shown with aportion broken away;

FIG. 2 is a view in section taken along the line 2-2 in the embodimentshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in section showing the lower portion of th machine andtaken along the line 3-3 in the embodiment in H6. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view in horizontal section showing theportion where bottles are transferred from the inside of the innercylinder to the outside thereof;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front development of the portion correspondingto that shown in FIG. 4 with the outer cylinder ommitted, the bottlebeing shown as it is guided with the bottle mouth directed toward thedirection of the travel;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front development similar to FIG. 5 in which thebottle is shown as it is guided with the mouth thereof directed toward adirection opposite to that of the travel; and,

FIG. 7 is a view in section taken along the line 7-7 in the embodimentin FIG. 5.

The machine shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, is a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, and comprises an outer fixed cylinder 1 and an innerrotary cylinder 10 coaxial with the outer cylinder 1 and slightlysmaller in diameter. The outer cylinder 1 which has an inner cylindricalwall is provided at the upper end opening, with a removable cover 2which has a bottle delivery chute 4 disposed at a position slightly awayfrom the top of the cover and extending obliquely downwardly into theinner cylinder 10. A bottom frame 5 fixed to the inner side in a lowerportion of the outer cylinder 1 is provided with a radial members 5ahaving ribs, and a vertical shaft 7 is fixedly mounted on a boss 6disposed in the center. To the under surface of the bottom frame 5 ofthe outer cylinder are attached legs 8 which are telescopicallyadjustable.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 the inner cylinder 10 includes a bottom frameII having radial members lla provided with ribs and a conical floor 9.The bottom frame 11 is fixed to the inner surface in the lower portionof the inner cylinder 10, a boss 12 disposed in the center being fittedonto the vertical shaft 7 with a bearing 13 interposed therebetween. Theconical floor 9 is fastened in place with the central top portionsecured to the upper end of the vertical shaft 7 by means or a nut. Theconical floor 9 is downwardly inclined toward its periphery as itextends in an umbrella form so as to allow the bottles fed through thedelivery chute 4 to be driven while being rolled toward the peripheraledge. Serving as a receiver for a sterilizing liquid is a first trough23 L-shaped in cross section which is welded to the upper surface alongthe outer periphery of the bottom frame 11 of the inner cylinder 10.Disposed above the trough is the peripheral edge of the conical floor 9provided in the inner cylinder 10. The sterilizing liquid received inthe first trough 23 flows through a hole 25 formed in the inner cylinderinto a second trough 24 which is provided with a substantially L-shapedcross section similar to the first trough as shown in FIG. 2. In anintermediate portion between the inner cylinder 10 and the bottom frame5 of the outer cylinder 1, the trough 24 is welded to the inner surfaceof the outer cylinder I and the lower end of the inner cylinder 10 ispositioned above the trough. The second trough 24 is provided, at aportion thereof, with a drain 26 which extends downward.

Welded to the inner surface of the lower end of the inner cylinder 10 isa ring 15 whose inner peripheral surface is resiliently in contact witha friction roller 14 for rotating the inner cylinder 10. A supportingmember 16 of the friction roller 14 is fixed to the bottom frame 5 ofthe outer cylinder 1 and in a position away from these members ismounted a motor 17 on an adjustable support 18. A worm reduction means1% fixed to the under surface of the bottom frame 5 has a gear 21projecting above the bottom frame 5 and meshes with a driven gear 22mounted on the lower end of the shaft of the friction roller 14.Accordingly, the rotation of the motor 17 is delivered by a chain 20 tothe worm reduction means 19, and through a transmitting means includingthe gears 21 and 22 and friction roller 14 the inner cylinder 10 isbrought into slow but powerful counterclockwise rotation.

As is apparent in the drawings, particularly in FIGS. 1, 4 and 7, to theinner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 10 are welded aplurality of inner radial projections 27 which are spaced apart fromeach other with a distance slightly larger than the length of thebottle. Asdescribed below, these inner projections 27 serve to guide thebottles delivered onto the conical floor 9 of the inner cylinder 10 tothe upper portion of the inner cylinder 10. The projection has a widthapproximately corresponding to the radius of the bottle B and the upperend thereof projects slightly above the upper end of the inner cylinder10 with the lower end disposed approximately at the same level as theouter peripheral edge of the conical floor 9. The projecting portion 270at the upper end of the inner projection 27 is disposed on the upper endof the inner cylinder 10 and positioned at such low level that theprojecting portion may engage the bottom of a bottle which is sentforward in lateral position at a right angle to the diameter of theinner cylinder 10 but the portion may be free of contact with the bottlemouth.

A bottle guide means includes a guide rail 28 for guiding bottles fromthe conical floor 9 to the upper portion. The guide rail 28 is disposedalong the inner periphery of the row of inner projections 27 and iscircular in cross section and has more than a semicircular length asseen in plan view, the lower end thereof extending upwardly and spirallyfrom the lower end of the conical floor 9 to terminate at the upper endwhich is positioned slightly above the upper end of the inner cylinder10. The lower end 28a of them guide rail 28, pressed to a flat form, isriveted to the upper surface of the floor 9 proximate to its outerperipheral edge. It will readily be understood that the innerprojections 27 are adapted to engage the mouth or bottom portions of thebottles disposed along the peripheral edge of the conical floor 9 and toguide the bottles upward along the guide rail 28. More than one hanger29 on which the guide rail 28 is hung is secured to the upper edgeportion of the outer cylinder 1. Further as shown in FIG. 7, the bottleguide means is provided with a guide end member 31 which is obliquelyoutwardly projecting from the upper end portion 28b of the guide rail28. The guide end member 31, fixed in position by means of one of thehangers 29, serves to push bottles from inside of the inner cylinder 10to the outside over the upper edge thereof while the bottles are movedalong the upper end portion 28b of the guide rail 28.

On the outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 10 in aposition slightly backward as viewed with respect to the direction ofrotation of the inner cylinder 10, from the position corresponding tothat of the inner radial projection 27 is disposed more projection 32which has a width approximately half the distance between the innercylinder 10, and outer cylinder 1. The upper end of the projection ispositioned slightly below the upper end of the inner cylinder 10, thelower end being substantially above the level of the middle portion ofthe inner cylinder 10. The inner portion of the outer projection 32 isprovided with a fixing portion 320 formed by bending an extendingportion at a right angle and welded to the outer surface of the innercylinder 10 by spot welding. n the other hand, the outer edge of theouter projection 32 is provided with a guide 34 which is formed bybending an extending portion in direction opposite to that of the fixingportion 32a and which extends downwardly below the outer projection 32,one side edge thereof slanting backward with respect to the direction ofrotation of th inner cylinder 10. To the upper end of each of the outerprojections 32 is welded a horizontal clearing member 33 which isimportant in understanding the present invention. The clearing member 33has on opposite ends a front upright portion 33a and a rear uprightportion 33b which upwardly project slightly above the level of the upperend of the inner cylinder and which are adapted to permit the neckportion of the bottle to move beyond these portions when it is carriedforward while lying outside the inner cylinder 10 (see F168. 5 to 8).That is, the clearing member 33 is formed in low U-shape as seen fromthe front.

Below the outer projections 32 in an upper portion between the innercylinder 10 and an outer cylinder 1 is disposed a bottle position floor35 which is welded to the outer circumferential surface of the innercylinder 10 at a level slightly below the middle portion of the height.The outer cylinder 1 is formed with a bottle exit 36 which is associatedwith the bottle position floor and to which is connected a bottledischarge guide 37 extending outwardly of the outer cylinder 1 andfurther connected to a belt conveyor (not shown). A discharge guide 38for guiding the bottle on the bottle position floor 35 to the exit 36 islocated under the guide 34 so as to be disposed above the position floor35. The bottles to be handled by the machine of the embodiment isindicated at B in the drawings.

The operation of the machine of the embodiment is carried out asfollows. A number of bottles B fed through the bottle delivery chute 4are first dropped'into the conical floor 9 formed in the inner cylinder10 and while being rolled on the sloping surface, they are driven to theperipheral edge portion thereof, where there is provided the inner wallof the inner cylinder 10 which is constantly rotated at a low speed bymeans of the motor 17, reduction and transmitting means 19, 20, 21, 22,and 14. Accordingly, the bottles B are respectively forced into spacesbetween respective inner projections 27 while lying on the floor, andthe bottom or mouth portions of the bottles being engaged by the lowerend portions of the inner projections 27, the bottles are pushed forwardhorizontally and counterclockwise to be sent to the lower end portion280 of the guide rail 28.

Since the guide rail 28 is provided along the row of the innerprojections 27 in a slanting manner and as the inner projections 27 havea height approximately equal to the vertical distance of the guide rail28, the projections, in addition being rotated, the bottles B are pushedby theinner projections upwardly along the sloping guide rail 28 whilebeing positioned at a right angle with the diameter of the innercylinder 10 and reach the upper end portion 28b where the bottles Bguided by the guide end member 31, are forced beyond the upper end ofthe inner cylinder 10 to be dropped outside, as apparent in FIG. 7. Atthis time, those bottles B whose mouths are directed toward thedirection of the travel, namely toward the direction of the rotation ofthe inner cylinder 10 are sent upward along the guide rail 28 with thebottle bottoms kept in contact with the inner projections 27. When thebottle is to be moved beyond the upper end of the inner cylinder 10along the projecting portions 270, the neck portion including the mouthof the bottle B, as shown in FIG. 5 moves beyond the rear uprightportion 33b of the preceding clearing member 33 disposed in outside ofthe inner cylinder 10 and the shoulder of the bottle is brought intocontact therewith, so that the bottle B is tipped with the bottom sidedown and dropped onto the position floor 35 in normal position. 0n theother hand, in case the mouth of a bottle B is positioned toward adirection opposite to that of the travel, namely toward a directionopposite to that of rotation of the inner cylinder 10, the bottle ismoved upward along the guide rail 28 with the mouth kept in contact withthe inner projection 27. When the bottle 8 finally reaches theprojecting portion 27:: at the upper end of the inner projection 27, thebottle mouth, being smaller than the main portion of they bottle indiameter, does not engage but clears the projecting portion 27a andmoves beyond the upper edge of the inner cylinder 10. However, since theinner cylinder 10 goes on rotating while the slanting guide rail 28guiding the bottle B is fixed in place, the bottle 8 is substantiallymoved backward at the upper end 2812 of the guide rail 28, with theresult that the shoulder of the bottle B strikes the front uprightportion 33a of the clearing member 33 which is positioned behind thebottle. Just as in the above-mentioned case, the bottle 5 isconsequently dropped with the bottom side down and placed in normalupright position on the bottom position floor 35.

In this manner, the bottles B pushed forward by the inner projections 27and sent upward along the slanting guide rail 28 are one after anotherdelivered from the inside of the inner cylinder to the outside thereofand placed in normal upright position on the bottle position floor 35when dropped thereon. Due to the rotation of the bottle position floor35 effected by the rotation of the inner cylinder 10, the bottles B onthe floor 35 are moved counterclockwise. At a position more than half ofa revolution ahead of the position from where the bottles are droppedonto the outside of the inner cylinder 10, the bottles strike thedischarge guide 38, and through exit 36 formed in the outer cylinder 1,and discharge guide 37, they are delivered in a row onto a belt conveyor(not shown).

From the above description, it will be understood that a plurality ofbottles B which are fed into the machine without being arranged in apredetermined position are, automatically brought into an uprightposition due to their own weight with mouthside up and are thendischarged in a row. Furthermore without using a limit switch by whichthe normal position of the bottles may be detected, the operation can beachieved with high efficiency.

Although the drawings show an embodiment which comprises a number ofinner radial projections 27 disposed in the inside of the inner cylinder10, the advantage of the present invention can of course be effected solong as at least one inner radial projection is provided.

I claim:

1. A machine to receive empty bottles and then feed these bottles out ina row so that the bottle mouth is disposed for receiving a liquid,comprising in combination:

a. A fixed housing 1 having an inner cylindrical wall;

I). a bottle delivery means 4 to drop bottles within said housing fromthe top thereof;

c. an inner cylinder 10 coaxial with said inner cylindrical wall havinga conical floor 9 disposed so as to receive bottles from said deliverymeans 4;

d. rotating means l7, 19, 20, 21, 22 for rotating said inner cylinder 10within said inner cylinder wall along a circular path of travel;

e. guide means 28 to receive said bottles thereon extending "'m. fromthe floor 9 to the upper portion of said inner cylinder 10 so as toguide said bottles to said upper portion.

vertical bottle positions defined on the outside of said inner cylindertowards the upper portion thereof between said inner cylinder outer sideand the inner cylindrical wall of said housing 1 including a positionfloor 35, position limits 32, 33, said guide means 28 leading to the topof said positions.

g. a guide end member 31 to push bottles which are on guide means 28over said defined positions; h. clearing means 33, 33a, 33b and engagingmeans 270 to engage the bottle and drop the bottle into said definedpositions bottom first; and i. an exit station with exit means 36 alongsaid path of travel to discharge said bottles individually as they reachthe exit station. 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bottledelivery means 4 are a chute.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said guide means 28 arespiral guide means.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein there is at least 1 one innerradial projection disposed within said inner cylinder 10 to engage saidbottles and force them onto said spiral guide means.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein said clearing means 33, 33an33b and engaging means 270 include U- shaped members which will permitonly a bottle neck portion to clear the top thereof so as to then tipthe bottle onto said defined position bottomside down and projectionsextending over saidposition disposed to engage onl the bottom of abottle again 0 tip the bottle into sat efine position bottomside down.

6. In a machine to receive empty bottles and to feed these bottles ontoa bottle-filling station so that the mouth portion of the bottle isdisposed for receiving a liquid, comprising in combination; outer fixedand inner rotating coaxial cylinders; bottle orienting means defined onthe outside of and at the upper part of said inner cylinder including afloor and spaced limits, said orienting means rotating within said outercylinder; a flooring on said inner cylinder for receiving said bottles;delivery means to drop bottles on said flooring stationery guide meansin said inner cylinder to guide the bottle on their side to a locationat the upper part of said cylinder cylinder to the orienting means wherethe necks of the bottles clear the spaced limits but the bottoms areengaged thereby so as to drop said bottles onto said floor bottomsidedown.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein said inner cylinder floor isconical.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein there is at least oneprojection within said inner cylinder to engage said bottles and forcethem on said guide means.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein said guide means comprises aspiral ramp extending from said flooring to said location and having aguide end member to push bottles which are on the guide means over saidorienting means. 10. A machine as claimed in claim 9 wherein saidorienting means include U-shaped members which will permit only a bottleneck portion to clear the top thereof so as to then tip the bottle ontosaid floor bottomside down and projections disposed to engage only thebottom of a bottle again to tip the bottle onto said floor bottomsidedown.

